consumer study summary wines

7/28/2019 Consumer Study Summary Wines

1/16

beverage preferences,

attitudes, & behavior

of

sweet vs.tolerant

wine consumers

RESULTS OF AN

ON-LINE CONSUMER SURVEYsponsored by the

CONSUMER WINE AWARDS atLODI

with

LODI TOKAY ROTARY

&

DIVERSITY WINE AWARDS LLC

TIM HANNI MW

VIRGINIA UTERMOHLEN MD


2/16

Ourmission:

toexplore

andintroduce

newways

tounde

rstand,emb

race,

engage,

and

cultivate

allwineco

nsumers,

inorderto

create

amoresustaina

ble

andhealthy

wineindus

try.


3/16

The data presented in this report come froman on-line survey conducted in conjunction

with the CONSUMER WINE AWARDS atLODI.

Filters were created to cluster respondents whopreferred sweet wine types versus those with apreference for more intensely styled red wines

the tolerants.

This report contains comparative chartsdemonstrating significant differences between

Sweet and Tolerant groups in:Gender

Age

Preferences for wine by variety/type

Wine selection attitudes and confidenceAdult beverage consumption frequencies

Desirable character ist ics ( f lavordescriptors)

Adult beverage preferences by occasion(home, fine dining, social/bar)

Beer style and coffee preferences

about the survey

SURVEY STATISTICS

Collection period:December 2009 March, 2010

Total started survey: 1,597

Survey response total for thisanalysis: 1,485

Sweet respondents: 324

Tolerant respondents: 341

This report offers a brief overview of a survey of the preferences,

attitudes, and behaviors of two groups of wine consumers

~ SWEET and TOLERANT ~

with wine stylistic preferences at the

extreme ends of the spectrum of wine styles.

Copyright 2010 HanniCo LLC, all rights reserved Contact: [email protected] 707-337-0327

For more information or to order the full report,contact: Tim Hanni, [email protected] or call

707-337-0327


4/16

TIM HANNI MWTim Hanni has worked in the wine industryfor over 35 years and is one of the first tworesident Americans to successfully completethe examination and earn the credentialMaster of Wine. He is also a professionallytrained chef and a Certified Wine Educatoraccredited by the Society of Wine Educators.

Hanni has been involved with wine and food

related businesses, education and consumerresearch. Hanni is renowned for his uniqueperspective on food and wine combined withhis work on developing a better means forunderstanding of consumer wine preferences,attitudes and behaviors.

He has lectured in over 27 countries aroundthe world on the topics of flavor balancing,sensory sciences, wine and culinary history.

About the

Consumer

Wine Awardsat Lodi

The Consumer Wine Awards at Lodi (CWAL),sponsored by the Lodi Tokay Rotary and theDiversity Wine Awards LLC, recognizes andcelebrates the fact that every person has uniquephysiological and sensory differences that

profoundly affect wine and food preferences.

The judges assessing each category of wine werethe very consumers who are most inclined to buyand enjoy the wines of that category.

Consumers interested in becoming Evaluators forthe CWAL were required to complete the surveyanalyzed in this report.

We received requests from over 1000 of people(from those who completed the survey) tobecome Consumer Wine Evaluators in theend, 90 were selected for the event.

You can learn more about the CWAL evaluationmethodology and view the 2010 results at:

www.consumerwineawards.com

VIRGINIA UTERMOHLEN MDVirginia Utermohlen grew up in a multi-lingualhousehold, where the appreciation of good

wine and good food was a given. After passingher French Baccalaureate exam with honors(one of the potential questions was Describe thewines and cheeses of France!) she turned herattention to the sciences, and completed amedical degree and board certification inpediatrics.

The mysteries of flavor perception were,however, never far from her thoughts. Herposition in the Division of Nutritional Sciencesat Cornell University has given her theopportunity to explore the science behindindividual differences in flavor sensitivity, andtheir consequences for food choice, eatingattitudes and behavior, and engagement in

visual experience (of wine labels, for example).

about the

authors



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What is taste?

Strictly speaking, taste is made up of the sensations

coming from the mouth, and smell those from the

nose, but our brains assign both taste and smell to the

mouth. Therefore we commonly call the result taste,

though flavor may be the more correct term.

What is taste sensitivity?Taste sensitivity refers to the intensity with which you

perceive tastes and flavors.

We differ considerably in what we each can taste and

smell, and in how intense different tastes and smells are

to us. People with high taste sensitivity experience tastes,

and usually smells, too, as being very strong. They are

also able to distinguish individual flavors in a mixture

very well.

Is one taste sensitivity level better than another?

No! Greater (or lesser) sensory sensitivity does not makea person more expert or capablejust different.

Does taste sensitivity influence wine choice?

Yes!

Why does taste sensitivity influence wine choice?

The nerves that bring sensations from the nose and the

mouth to our brain are closely linked to our emotional

centers, our memory centers, and our centers for

evaluation, judgment, and decision-making. Our taste

sensitivity depends on the interactions of the taste and

smell nerves with these centers in the brain.

Consquently our experience of tasteand therefore

our wine preferencesare affected by the strength of

the taste signals coming from the mouth and smel

signals from the nose, and also by life experiences

aspirations, family, culture, learning/education, peer

dynamics, just to name a few important influences.

All of these influences can contribute to shifts in

preferences, attitudes and behaviors, but the

physiological starting point is your fundamental taste

sensitivity.

A common misconception is that ones palate matures

and becomes more sophisticated over time. The reality

is that little children are generally physiologically more

sensitive than adults, and that taste (and smell) sensitivity

decreases with time, more sharply in some people than

in others, so that by the end of adolescence we reach a

plateau. The level of this plateau varies from person toperson, and can also drop over time, but normally at a

very slow pace.

As we grow older, we accumulate our psychologica

experiencesthese in turn modulate our experience of

the taste of wine. However, their effect caries by our

taste sensitivity.

Does this mean that wine professionals should

expand their definition of high aspiration wine?

Absolutely! Because each level of taste sensitivity brings

with it a different palateand with each different palate

a fresh gamut of possibilities for the appreciation of

excellence in wine.


a few words about taste

(and smell) sensitivity

and why differences in

sensitivity matter


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THE SWEET CONSUMER

Theres a new market opportunity for wine outthere: primarily femalebut with a signficantpercentage of males as wellyoung, adventurous,and willing to try new wineson their own terms.They are put off by the emphasis on dry wines, allthe jargon surrounding wine-speak, and easilyembarrassed when confronted by wine authority.

Trying to move them to dry wines on the theory thatdry wines are inherently better or more appropriatewith food will simply backfire.

You will have to engage them and build up their

confidence in their wine preferences, if you want tolure them away from cocktails and light beer, andtowards wine.

You will have to help them figure out how to pairwines with food in a new, friendly, and free-formway. Theyre not sure how to do it and would love tolearnbut your advice needs to be personalized tomeet their expectations, and not simply dogma.

Preferred wine types include sangria, fruit wines,white zinfandel, and Rieslingespecially Rieslingand sparkling wines. You must take care to get the

right product to the Sweet consumer: sweet Rieslingand Moscato in the 2-5% residual range are verydesirable, not the dry, less fruity examples.

Among the reds, the best bets are Shiraz/Syrah,zinfandel, and pinot noir, but they arent liked asmuch as the whiteslow alcohol with very littlebitterness or astringency is mandatory, whether thewine is red or white. Pinot can be problematic forthese Sweet consumers due to bitter phenolicscommonly associated with this variety.

THE TOLERANT

CONSUMERBy contrast, if you have big red wines, then theTolerant consumer will love them.

Who are the Tolerants? More likely to be male, alittle older, and much more confident in choosingwine and in pairing wine with foodsmaybe a bitcocky about wine, all told. They like jargon and theylike authority.

They look for dry wines, complex wines, balancedwines and full-bodied ones, and will order wine evenin a bar or non-dining social situationin fact theydrink wine almost every day. They tend to think ofthemselves as connoisseurs of wine.

Why do we call them Tolerants, then? Because theyare physiologically predisposed to tolerate the bitter-ness and astringency of intense red wines and arerelatively impervious to the burning sensation causedby wines with high alcohol content. In fact, highalcohol often tastes sweet to the Tolerant group.

Tolerants choose a very narrow range of wine types.They go primarily for Cabernet Sauvignon andCabernet Sauvignon based blends.

Interestingly, they share a liking for Pinto Noir andShiraz/Syrah with the lovers of sweet winesso ifyou offer rich yet very smooth examples of thesevarietals, you can catch both audiences.

THE NEW MARKET OPPORTUNITY:

UPSCALE PRODUCTS FOR SWEET CONSUMERS,

WHO ARE TASTE SENSITIVE AND PREFER SWEETER WINES

the take-home messages


Remember, coffee companies struck gold

with the Sweet consumer:

sweetened and flavored coffee often sells for

3 to 4 times the price of a regular cup of coffee.


7/16

SWEETHighest level of taste sensitivity ~ needssweetness to offset other tastes

Prefer sweet wines by declaration

Preferred wines: Riesling, White Zinfandel,Sangria, fruit flavored wines, Chardonnay

Language: Sweet, smooth, fruity

Sell opportunities: Moscato, sweet Rieslingand other sweet wines

Avoid: overplaying wine-food pairing, sellingdry wines

We have identifiedfour primary consumer groups,who span the spectrum of

wine style preferences,from light & sweet

to intense & red.

affinity groups

A brief overview of traits, preferences and opportunities of the four consumer groups

HYPER-SENSITIVEVery high taste sensitivity

Primarily prefer dry and slightly off-dry winesby declaration

Preferred wines: Pinot Grigio, dry Riesling,light reds

Language: dry, light, fruity

Sell opportunities: dry, less intense whites orross and very smooth, lighter intensity reds.

SENSITIVEModerate taste sensitivity

Wine preferences run a complete spectrum ofstyles and flavors

Language: dry, balanced, fruitySell opportunities: very open to exploring,have very wide range of flavor acceptability

TOLERANTLeast likely to have problems with tastesensitivity ~ the stronger the better

Prefer big red wines

Language: point ratings, complex, bold,intense

Sell opportunities: big reds



8/16

0

20

40

60

80

Male Female

42

58

77

23

Sweet Tolerant

0

7.5

15

22.5

30

21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 0ver 70

Sweet Sweet Trend

Tolerant Tolerant Trend

gender

andage

distribution

Sweet

versus

TolerantPercent of males and females in

each taste group

Percent of participants in each age group,

with trend lines for each taste group

Peoplewholike

sweeterwines

aremorelikelyto

be

female

and

younger

~

Peoplewhoare

tolerant

aremorelikelyto

be

male

and

older



9/16

Riesling

Fruit Wines

White Zinfandel

Chardonnay

Dry Sparkling/Champagne

Sangria

Fruit-flavored

Sweet Sparkling

Pinot Noir

Zinfandel

Shiraz/Syrah

Blush Wine

Sauvignon Blanc

Domestic Chablis

Domestic Burgundy

Cabernet Sauvignon

Merlot

Lambrusco

Gewurztraminer

Malbec

Viognier

Cabernet Franc

Carmenere

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Sweet Tolerant

wine

preferences

Respondents selected up to 3 wine types thatthey frequently drink. The values below

represent the times (as percent of tota lreponses) that each wine was chosen by eachgroup.

Sweetrespondentsprefersweet,fruity,sparkling,blushandwhitewines,whileTolerantspreferredsthebiggerthe

better.



10/16

Adventurous

Passionate

Free and easy

Tentative

Conservative

Drink anything

Dont put me in a bucket

0 15 30 45 60

5

0

2

7

7

23

55

3

5

10

24

15

9

31

Members of the Sweet group were signficantly more likely to select tentative

orconservative and somewhatless likely to selectadventurous to describe

their attitude towards selecting wines. Importantly, far fewer members of the

Sweet group were passionate about selecting wine.


attitudes

towards

wine

CouldtheSweetgroupspassionforwine

beignitedifsweeterwinesweremoreacceptableandmoreavailable?

Percent of each group with each answer to:Which of the following best describes your attitude toward selecting wines?

Sweet Tolerant


11/16

0

12.5

25

37.5

50

Overwhelmed Embarrassed Timid but I try I know what I like Relatively confident HIghly confident

47

31

17

5

00

17

30

23

18

66

Sweet Tolerant

Couldthe

Sweetg

roup

becomem

ore

comforta

ble

withwine

sif

sweeterw

ines

weremore

acceptable

andmore

availabl

e?

Percent of each group with each

answer to:

Which of the following

best describes your

confidence level when

you are considering

choosing wines for the

enjoyment of others?


confidence choosing wine


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0

10

20

30

40

Once a month or less Less than 3 x/month Once a week 2-3x/week Almost every day Daily

17

35

30

11

5

1

5

15

2222

15

21

Sweet Tolerant

Respondents

in the

Sweet group

drink wine

far less often

than do

Tolerants.

Percent of respondents consuming wine at each frequency for each taste group.


frequency of wine consumption

Howdoweencouragesweet

consumerstodrinkwinemoreoften?


13/16

0

25

50

75

100

Wine Beer Cocktail

4

9

87

14

19

66

Sweet Tolerant

Percent of each group with each answer to:

When you are athome what is yourprimary choice for an adult beverage?

beverage preferences

by occasion


Peoplewholike

sweeterwines

aremorelikely

thanTolerantsto

drinkbeerand

cocktails

athome.

Bycontrast,

Tolerants

overwhelmingly

choosewine

todrinkathome.


14/16

0

25

50

75

100

Wine Beer Cocktail

21

97

188

74

Sweet Tolerant

When you dine out at a fine restaurantwhat is your primary choice for an adultbeverage?

0

25

50

75

100

Wine Beer Cocktail

2224

54

37

26

37

When you are dining out or areat a bar or non-dining social function/party

what is your primary choicefor an adult beverage?

While Tolerantrespondentsdiningatafinerestaurant

choose winealmostexclusively,near

lyoneinfiverespondentsintheSweetgroup order

cocktails.

The Sweetgroupspreferenceforcocktailsis even moremarked

atbarsandnon-diningsocialfunctions

.



15/16

The Sweetgroups

preferences forlight

tastes extends to

beer...

...while the Tolerantstaste forintensity

andalcoholleads

them to choose beers

they consider less

watery, diluted, and

wimpy.

beer

preferences

Light

Domestic Brand

Microbrew

Imported Lager

Ale

Wheat

Stout/Porter

Extreme Beer

I dont really know

0 10 20 30 40

6

1

7

6

13

17

30

10

10

15

0.3

4

6

6

10

11

14

33

Sweet Tolerant

TheSweetgroupsPrefe

renceforlightertastesmeansthattheyexperiencethesamedisenfranchisingattitudeswhenitcomestobeer!


16/16

0

17.5

35

52.5

70

Yes Sometimes No

67

19

14

36

23

41

Sweet Tolerant

Two thirds of the

Sweet group use

sweet upgrades

for their coffee,

while two thirds of

the tolerants

do not.

Percent of each groupwith each answer to:

Do you ever addflavored creamers

or shots like

almond, hazelnut,vanilla, caramel orIrish cream toyour coffee?

Sweetrespondentsarespendingextratohaveflavoringsaddedto

theircoffee.

Coffee

flavoring

consumer study summary wines

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